Preparatory to the topic of this sermon, we ought to reflect what having been saved really entails. We know already that we have a high calling - actually it is a very, very high calling. To learn how high this calling is please click this link for it is already written up in words I can hardly improve on.

The heirs of God have come from garrets, from hovels, from dungeons, from scaffolds, from mountains, from deserts, from the caves of the earth rent in the days of trouble. On earth they were without any support, destitute, afflicted and tormented. Millions went down to the grave loaded with infamy because they steadfastly refused to yield to the deceptive claims of Satan. By human tribunals they were judged the vilest of criminals. But now "God is judge Himself," Ps. 50:6. Now the decisions of earth are reversed. "The rebuke of His people shall He take away." Isa. 25:8. "They shall call them, the holy people, the redeemed of the Lord." Isa. 62:12.

On the Way Up

Have you ever thought what it would be like to look back over our shoulder as we wing our way to heaven and see the end of the world behind us? That will be quite a sight. It is quite a thought to be thinking, once we get away from this earth alive and then to be in the presence of Jesus as we leave. But the next best thought would be to see the New Jerusalem coming into view as we approach the planet called heaven. I would also like you to think of how our heart will race as the glory of that place starts to explode over the horizon, something like the northern lights if you have ever seen it, as we draw nigh to that planet and see the glory of the city.

We find that in OT times the Jews journeyed to Jerusalem by caravan, and as they would come near the city, their eyes would be fixed on that royal city, then they would automatically burst forth in singing; and what they used to sing is found in Psalm 122, where we read,

"Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem.
Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together:
Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the Lord.
For there are set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.
Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces." Psalm 122:2-7 [28]

They would sing that Psalm when they first saw the city.

"Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem."

And so, as we approach this city of God, the glory of that place shall call forth something in our hearts, for the place shall shine like the gems in a diadem. Gems that are most glorious to behold.

The book, the `The Story of Redemption' tells us about the events `when' we approach the city, `when' we come to the outskirts of the city, and `when' we land there.

And many things we bring out in this article come from the Spirit of Prophecy. And it says, before entering the city, the saints were arranged in a perfect square, with Jesus in the midst. He stood head and shoulders above the saints and above the angels. His majestic form and lovely countenance could be seen by all in the square.

Just think, I want to go to heaven more than anything else! Thinking of heaven is what keeps me going on difficult days.

Outskirts of the City

But there we will all be, the redeemed of all ages in that perfect square [30], just outside the city wall - and while we are still outside the city, the Lord brings forth from his hand to each one of us a crown, a harp and a palm, the sign of victory.

And we are also told, that our personal angel, who has been with us throughout all of our life, your personal angel's hands have made for you your golden crown.

And when we reach this place on the outskirts of the city, all of the angels that have been with us, all the way from earth to heaven, will leave us and go inside the city; and when they come out, your guardian angels will have with them your crown, Matth. 18:10; Ps. 34:7; 91:11; 103:20; Hebr. 1:14.. And your crown will have a new name on it.

And we are told,

"To him that overcometh will I give . . . a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knows save he that receives it." Rev. 2:17.

Now, this is nothing new, they used to do that in OT times. We know something like this even from the Book of Daniel.

When Daniel and his companions went over to Babylon, do you remember what they did? Yes, they gave them a new name to go with those young men.

So, when we go to the kingdom in heaven; we shall get a new name.

Our guardian angels who have been with us all the time, they will come one by one and they will give to Jesus your crown. It will be a jeweled crown, and there will be a star in that crown for each person that you have brought to Christ, Rev. 12:1; Ex. 25:11;Ps. 132:17,18; Isa. 62:1-3; Phil 4:1; 1.Thess. 2:19; 2.Tim. 4:8; James 1:12; 1.Peter 5:4.

We are told that some of these crowns will be very heavy with stars, others will be not quite so heavy, but we will all be satisfied with the crown we receive.

And then comes your moment of destiny.

You will be called by your new name by Jesus, and you will come and stand in front of him, and then your guardian angel will pass your crown to Jesus, and Jesus with his own lovely right hand places that crown on your head.

And I want you to think of what a thrill that will be, and you can almost imagine that tingling going down your spine when Jesus places that crown on your head.

There you are standing in front of all the redeemed of all the ages, and Jesus is crowning you!

That will be your moment of destiny.

Think humbly of the millions watching you receiving your crown.

So the question is, when do monarchs become king?

They become king when they are crowned.

This then will be your coronation day.

Check out what the Bible says. We read, that he will make us what? He will make us

"kings and priests unto God and His Father" Rev. 1:6.

There you are, you are going to be crowned king.

Then, once again, we will be called into the presence of our Lord, one by one, and this time we will be presented with a harp, Rev. 15:2.

And the best part about this is, that we will be playing it perfectly, we will not even have to take a lesson. Who wouldn't like that?

And then, we will also be presented with a palm of victory, Rev. 7:9; Eze. 41:18,19; John 12:12,13.

Remember this is all for the `Feast of Tabernacles' for which the Lord will be preparing us.

Our Time in Heaven

But for just a moment let us consider a little time capsule. Some people have thought, what are we going to do in heaven for a thousand years? Will we be sitting around plucking on a harp? It will be a thousand years before God's city comes down to this earth.

But remember that square we are standing in, lets say perhaps some 50 million redeemed of all the ages - and that is a conservative figure. Don't quote us on it for there may be many, many more, we don't know how many.

But we just use 50 million for easier calculation.

For, you see, each one of us will come up and receive our crown and then come up again to receive the harp and the palm. Now "if", and that is just an `if', - if that receiving of these things took five minutes, that would take almost 500 years for all of us to come forward and receive these things.

But we only have a thousand years available, before we come back down to this earth.

So, you see the Lord is going to squeeze in many things he wants us to see and understand. We are also to judge Satan, his angels and the wicked. So we know we will not be standing around wondering what to do during those thousand years.

There will be many things that the Lord wants us to know and to understand and to witness while we are there at this `Feast of Tabernacles.'

But there is more to consider. We also know, that, when we come forth from the grave we will need to be clothed.

Do you recall that Adam and Eve were clothed with a garment of light? (Gen. 3:10, by implication)

When we come forth from the grave, we read about that time,

"And they were all clothed with a glorious white mantle from their shoulders to their feet." {EW. 16,17; Rev. 19:8,14}

Here is another description.

" `They shall call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the Lord.' He hath appointed "to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness." Isaiah 62:12; 61:3. They are no longer feeble, afflicted, scattered, and oppressed. Henceforth they are to be ever with the Lord. They stand before the throne clad in richer robes than the most honored of the earth have ever worn. They are crowned with diadems more glorious than were ever placed upon the brow of earthly monarchs. The days of pain and weeping are forever ended." {GC, 650}

Now, when it says, they are clad in rich robes, I almost see in my mind's eye a robe looking something like a king would wear. A beautiful robe that has some kind of a collar you know? A beautiful robe. A robe greater than any monarch has ever worn.

And we probably should not be surprised, that Jesus would give us a special gown to wear for the `Feast of Tabernacles.' - A special garment.

Do you remember how it went in the parable on the wedding feast?

To each guest was supplied a garment. And we know the garment is the righteousness of Christ. And surely there will be another garment. There will be a beautiful garment for us in heaven.

Now, after the presentation of the crowns, the harps and the palms, Jesus leads us to go over to the gate of the New Jerusalem, Matth 25:31,34. That is the pearly gates, Rev. 21:21.

And he swings open the door wide for us - he does it himself. Why? We know, that when Jesus ascended, after his resurrection, we are told, it was Moses who opened the gate for him.

"Moses saw that as he had lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so the Son of God must be lifted up, that whosoever would believe on Him "should not perish, but have eternal life." John 3:15. Grief, indignation, and horror filled the heart of Moses as he viewed the hypocrisy and satanic hatred manifested by the Jewish nation against their Redeemer, the mighty Angel who had gone before their fathers. He heard Christ's agonizing cry, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" Mark 15:34. He saw Him lying in Joseph's new tomb. The darkness of hopeless despair seemed to enshroud the world. But he looked again, and beheld Him coming forth a conqueror, and ascending to heaven escorted by adoring angels and leading a multitude of captives. He saw the shining gates open to receive Him, and the host of heaven with songs of triumph welcoming their Commander. And it was there revealed to him that he himself would be one who should attend the Saviour, and open to Him the everlasting gates." {PP, 475, 476; Jude 9; Hebr. 11:24-27}

But when the redeemed of all the ages stand before the gate, Jesus will this time open the gate of Jerusalem for them, and he says, `They . . .

". . . have washed their robes, and made them white in my blood. Therefore are you before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among you. . . . For I who is in the midst of the throne shall feed you, and shall lead you unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from your eyes. . . . Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." Rev. 7:14-17; 22:14, paraphrased.

Have you ever imagined anything greater than that. We will soon hear the words, `enter into that city?'

Just think for a moment, what it is going to be like, when you feast your eye on the glory of that city. And you will hear the `wows' and the `ahs' and the `ohs' . . .

"But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." 1.Corinthians 2:9.

Do we really love Him?

He wants to do so much for us.

And as you behold all of that glory . . . all that beauty . . . Jesus will say to you, `Your sorrows are ended.' Yes, ended. And you know, it is going to start to dawn in our mind, `there will be no more sorrow.'

And what rejoicing that statement will bring, all sorrows are ended for now and for ever! You are now in the city where only purity reigns, Rev. 21:11.

And I suppose you can hardly wait to see the street where your mansion is.

Think what that would be like.

You know, in OT times, on the `Feast of Tabernacles' they lived in little booths and lean-toes; outside, around the city. What on earth was likened with simple means, in reality is so much more glorious.

And now, here we are inside the city.

Looking down the golden streets, everywhere you see a mansion.

Another word for `mansion' is "tabernacle." John 14:2; Acts 15:14-16.

This is what the `Feast of Tabernacles' is all about, you see?

Of all the things we will see in the city, it is not only the mansion, but also the `Tree of Life' and the `River of Life' which will impress us so much.

Heavenly Events

And yet, there is one other event that will outshine all the others. Of all the things there will be to see in the city, there is one thing of special interest.

Picture now in your mind's eye Jesus leading you into the `Throne Room,' where God the Father is seated on the throne, the nerve center of the universe, of all there is.

No, there will be no monitors and switches, cables and plugs, those are crutches invented by man, but there is an order of angels attending to the Ancient of Days as described by the prophets Isaiah and Ezekiah, Isa. 6:1-3; Eze. 1:14.

But we read about it in these words,

"Now is fulfilled the Saviour's prayer for His disciples: "I will that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am." (Jh. 17:24) "Faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy" (Jude 24), Christ presents to the Father the purchase of His blood, declaring: "Here am I, and the children whom Thou hast given Me." (Isa. 8:18) "Those that Thou gavest Me I have kept." (Jh. 17:12) Oh, the wonders of redeeming love! the rapture of that hour when the infinite Father, looking upon the ransomed, shall behold His image, sin's discord banished, its blight removed, and the human once more in harmony with the divine! {GC 646.2}

Just think, standing in the presence of the Almighty God of the Universe.

And dear beloved, just think what joy it will be to the Father to behold the redeemed. For you see the Father suffered for me also at the cross. It was the Father who gave the Son as the sacrifice. And it was the Father who accepted the death of Christ instead of ours. It was the Father who put the sins of the world upon Christ on the cross, and then watched as that heavy burden took his life. - The Father took his life. He should have taken ours. And to save us, He had to sacrifice His own Son.

And that was all presented and given to us in the story of Abraham, how he would sacrifice his son. And you recall in the story of Abraham, when Abraham raised the knife his hand was stayed and he put the knife down. The only difference is, when the Father gave His Son, there was no one to stay the hand.

We read,

"Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted." Isa. 53:4.

That was Jesus who was `smitten of God.'

And a few sentences further, as if to verify what we just highlighted, it says,

". . . the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." Isa. 53:6.

He laid on him the sins of the world which crushed out his life.

And now you can say that the Father saw the travail of his soul and He is satisfied. {GC 671.1} And can't you almost see the Father smiling and pronouncing a blessing upon us, as we stand there in the Throne Room?

Can you picture the glory radiating from the Father? And to know that glory before we are immortalized, as we eat of the fruit of the Trees? And now, here we are right in the Throne Room of the great God of the universe, receiving His approval and His blessing, and what tremendous event through all stages of endurance is this `Feast of the Tabernacle.'

We can hardly imagine what it will be like seeing what sin has caused on earth today. The blessings God has in store include no more death or tears; the animals will be tame and gentle for we read,

"The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them." Isaiah 11:6.

Nothing there will pollute, hurt or destroy, because "the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord" Isa. 11:9. There will be no violence of any kind and nothing that defiles, Isa. 60:18; Rev. 21:27. Instead, all will be pure and happy and wholesome, and the air will be filled with the sounds of happy children playing in the streets, Zechariah 8:5.

Event Number Two

The next event is of greatness as well.

When Adam sinned he lost his dominion over this world. It was given to Adam in the beginning as we find it in Genesis 1:26, "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." But then in Micah 4 verse 8 we are told, this lost dominion will be given as to the daughter of Zion.

"And thou, O tower of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem." Micah 4:8.

The woman of the daughter of Zion is Jerusalem, the church of the New Testament. But the lost dominion will be restored. And this event of the dominion being given back to the one who lost it, is going to cause great rejoicing among those now dwelling in heaven, and we are told that "Adam is reinstated in his first dominion." {GC, 647.3} And there is a little service or ceremony that goes along with Adam being reinstated. What could that be?

We read,

"As the ransomed ones are welcomed to the City of God, there rings out upon the air an exultant cry of adoration. The two Adams are about to meet. The Son of God is standing with outstretched arms to receive the father of our race--the being whom He created, who sinned against his Maker, and for whose sin the marks of the crucifixion are borne upon the Saviour's form. As Adam discerns the prints of the cruel nails, he does not fall upon the bosom of his Lord, but in humiliation casts himself at His feet, crying: "Worthy, worthy is the Lamb that was slain!" Tenderly the Saviour lifts him up and bids him look once more upon the Eden home from which he has so long been exiled.
After his expulsion from Eden, Adam's life on earth was filled with sorrow. Every dying leaf, every victim of sacrifice, every blight upon the fair face of nature, every stain upon man's purity, was a fresh reminder of his sin. Terrible was the agony of remorse as he beheld iniquity abounding, and, in answer to his warnings, met the reproaches cast upon himself as the cause of sin. With patient humility he bore, for nearly a thousand years, the penalty of transgression. Faithfully did he repent of his sin and trust in the merits of the promised Saviour, and he died in the hope of a resurrection. The Son of God redeemed man's failure and fall; and now, through the work of the atonement, Adam is reinstated in his first dominion.
Transported with joy, he beholds the trees that were once his delight--the very trees whose fruit he himself had gathered in the days of his innocence and joy. He sees the vines that his own hands have trained, the very flowers that he once loved to care for. His mind grasps the reality of the scene; he comprehends that this is indeed Eden restored, more lovely now than when he was banished from it. The Saviour leads him to the tree of life and plucks the glorious fruit and bids him eat. He looks about him and beholds a multitude of his family redeemed, standing in the Paradise of God. Then he casts his glittering crown at the feet of Jesus and, falling upon His breast, embraces the Redeemer. He touches the golden harp, and the vaults of heaven echo the triumphant song: "Worthy, worthy, worthy is the Lamb that was slain, and lives again!" The family of Adam take up the strain and cast their crowns at the Saviour's feet as they bow before Him in adoration.
This reunion is witnessed by the angels who wept at the fall of Adam and rejoiced when Jesus, after His resurrection, ascended to heaven, having opened the grave for all who should believe on His name. Now they behold the work of redemption accomplished, and they unite their voices in the song of praise." {GC 647. 2,3; 648.1,2}

This is a picture, the part of the ceremony of Adam being reinstated at the `Feast of Tabernacle.' And what a good feast it is going to be. Keep in mind also that Jesus is giving us all a personal tour of the holy city. In its center he takes us to the throne room, he takes us down the golden streets to point out your mansion to you, and he also will take us to the `Tree of Life.' And there is one tree in heaven that everyone wants to see. This is it, the `Tree of Life.'

In Genesis 2 verse 9, "the `Tree of Life' in the midst of the garden" was given to man in the garden of Eden. It was then taken away from man when Adam sinned, that sin would not exist forever. Thank God for that. Wow, we would have been sinners for ever.

Then we have this next scripture to consider.

You probably have read this so many times that you have it memorized - these verses 1 and 2, - it says,

"And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations." Rev. 22:1,2.[180]

Have you ever thought what it would be like to walk along that river, the `River of Life'?

Have you ever wished you could cool your feet in it?

Or perhaps just kneel down and drink a little of it?

It says, it is pure. Clear as crystal.

Now that tree that is mentioned here, the `Tree of Life,' - half of it is rooted on one side and half on the other - and we are told that the trunk of that tree is transparent gold. I don't think anyone has ever seen gold like that. What could it mean? Transparent gold?[184]

Then I see us, Jesus is on one side of the tree and you are on the other, and he can look right through this trunk and see you. The gold is transparent. It has twelve manner of fruit.

Then Jesus will lead us to the tree, and we see the joy on his face as he says to us, `Go ahead and eat of it.'

He knows that we always looked forward to that moment, ever since we heard of the Plan of Salvation. And what a moment that is going to be. It is described like this,

"I then saw Jesus leading His people to the tree of life, and again we heard His lovely voice, richer than any music that ever fell on mortal ear, saying, "The leaves of this tree are for the healing of the nations. Eat ye all of it." (Rev. 22:2; Numb. 18:11) Upon the tree of life was most beautiful fruit, of which the saints could partake freely." {EW 289.1}

We are also told, that "the fruit was glorious." {EW, 17.1}

The fruit looked like gold mixed with silver. Here, what we know as precious metals, are used to give us an idea what the fruit might be like.

You know, I always had the thought in my mind eating of the leaves of the tree. As a child I tried tasting the leaves of the different trees, and I was not impressed at all.

I remember as a boy going through the woods in the state of Main, as I, the transcriber, did in northern Germany, to find one little leaf (actually we chewed two types of leaves) that we used to chew once in a while. One we called in German `Sauerampfer' and the other we didn't know by name, but saw it all over along the roads in the forest and Heide areas of northern Germany. Later I looked these up in some plant books, their names are Sauerampfer, Sorrel or Garden Sorrel, Rumex acetosa and Shepherd's Purse, Capsella bursapastoris. Those little heart shaped fruits are edible. And, no, they did not harm us in the least, they are more vegetable like than anything else.

Now back to the Bible. We also read about the `Tree of Life',

"The leaves of the tree of life . . . they are sweeter than honey and the honeycomb." {7BC, 989.5}

Who wouldn't like that? We can see now why the people would be eating of the leaves of the tree.

Have you ever thought, what it would be like to pluck the leaves of that tree yourself? Look at it holding it in your own hand, and then taste the flavor of that leave and those fruit?

What would be your thoughts and your emotions as you taste the juice of that tree still in your mouth and to know that that perpetuates life?

As we think of that, an old hymn may come to mind and there are some words in that hymn . . .

"and no, never die again."

We shall never die again. Perhaps some of these words might come back to us as we walk through the city on the `Feast of Tabernacles.'

Event Number Three

But there is one application regarding to the `Tree of Life' that we must not overlook. It is a beautiful lesson for us, especially in the time we live in now.

We read in Revelation 22:2 that there are twelve manner of fruits growing on the `Tree of Life.' Twelve different types or manners of fruits.

Have you ever wondered, `Why are there these different kinds of fruits?'

Surely, we would be satisfied with just one, especially if it is that one giving eternal life, wouldn't we? And it wouldn't have to taste as sweet as honey, as long as it gave you eternal life. We would be glad enough as long as that element was there.

So, what about the twelve fruits? Is there a spiritual application?

But we are told that Christ is the `Tree of Life' to us, and all who would can pluck and eat anytime you desire. So the Word of God is to us the `Tree of Life.'

We read,

"Christ is the source of our life, the source of immortality. He is the tree of life, and to all who come to Him He gives spiritual life." {RH Jan. 26, 1897; 7BC 989.8}

And again we read,

"After the entrance of sin the heavenly Husbandman transplanted the tree of life to the Paradise above; but its branches hang over the wall to the lower world. Through the redemption purchased by the blood of Christ, we may still eat of its life-giving fruit." {8T 288.2; 7BC 989.1}

`Its branches hang over the wall to the lower world.' Do you like that?

Logic tells us, then it is true, that we may eat of the `Tree of Life' today, - not just when we get to heaven. The Word of God is the branches that hang over the wall.

That which gives spiritual life is here now. And this is so great, dear reader, and you can talk to anybody anywhere and they would just love to eat of the `Tree of Life.'

That `Tree of Life' is in heaven. But very few will go to the source to be healed. Isn't that strange? Merely because of unbelief they fail to want to go to that source which heals? Which heals all the nations.

And here in this country most everybody has the Word in their home, at least they used to. Many even had several Bibles in their home.

It seems then that this shows that everyone wants the physical life. Yet, so many it seems, display no interest in the spiritual.

But God is saying, if you desire the spiritual, I give you the physical - for free.

We ought to know also something else about the twelve manner of fruits; that these twelve manner of fruits are available now. That is the thought worth contemplating!

We read, "Let all bear in mind that the tree of life bears twelve manner of fruits. This represents the spiritual work of our earthly missions. The Word of God is to us the tree of life. Every portion of the Scripture has its use. In every part of the Word is some lesson to be learned. Then learn how to study your Bibles. This book is not a heap of odds and ends. It is an educator. Your own thoughts must be called into exercise before you can be really benefited by Bible study. Spiritual sinew and muscle must be brought to bear upon the Word. The Holy Spirit will bring to remembrance the words of Christ. He will enlighten the mind, and guide the research." {Letter 3, 1898; 7BC 989.7}

Thus we see that it is not enough to go running every morning to exercise our muscles, we must spend even more time and determination to exercise our spiritual, thinking muscles, our mind.

But there is still more. We find also twelve different kinds of fruits in the Bible.

What could they be?

Can we find twelve areas of study in the Bible - the twelve manners of fruit that are available? Has anyone tried to discover them?

And perhaps, once you understand some of the keys that unlock scripture, you may have some of these different fruits already. Just remember that the twelve manner of fruit have something to do with the spiritual work of our earthly missions. That may mean we have to know for instance what it takes to start a ministry. What preparations and knowledge we ought to have before we start.

Next we know too now, that these principles also extent to the `Tree of Life' in heaven, because there are twelve manner of fruit on the tree in heaven.

That means we will be studying in heaven - about spiritual things no less.

Surely we will understand this fully when we get to heaven.

Is there anyone left who would be satisfied eating just one kind of fruit of that tree while there are twelve available?

May be this will be (and is now) God's way of motivating us to broaden our spiritual horizon.

And think of the joy when Jesus leads us to that `Tree of Life' and bids us to eat. Then we find that there is twelve times more on that tree than we thought before.

And then there is the supper. You know the supper of the celebration, the `Feast of Tabernacles', is a picture of the harvest of the world. When the harvest was all in their barn, they had the `Feast of Tabernacles.'

And so, when the harvest is all in from the world, the saints will celebrate the `Feast of Tabernacles' in heaven itself and this is the same as `the marriage of the lamb' that takes place.

About this we read,

"After we beheld the glory of the temple, we went out, and Jesus left us and went to the city. Soon we heard His lovely voice again, saying, `Come, My people, you have come out of great tribulation, and done My will; suffered for Me; come in to supper, for I will gird Myself, and serve you.' (Rev. 7:14) We shouted, "Alleluia! glory!" (Rev. 19:6) and entered into the city. And I saw a table of pure silver; it was many miles in length, yet our eyes could extend over it. [200] I saw the fruit of the tree of life, the manna, almonds, figs, pomegranates, grapes, and many other kinds of fruit. I asked Jesus to let me eat of the fruit. He said, `Not now. Those who eat of the fruit of this land go back to earth no more. But in a little while, if faithful, you shall both eat of the fruit of the tree of life and drink of the water of the fountain.' (Psalm 101:6; Prov. 28:20; 2.Tim.2:11; Rev. 2:10) And He said, `You must go back to the earth again and relate to others what I have revealed to you.' (Ex. 4:12; Dt. 4:14; Isa. 2:3; Mt. 28:19) Then an angel bore me gently down to this dark world. Sometimes I think I can stay here no longer; all things of earth look so dreary. I feel very lonely here, for I have seen a better land. Oh, that I had wings like a dove, then would I fly away and be at rest!" {EW 19.1}

So we saw that the children of God have been inside the city, they have been looking around, they saw Mt. Zion, they saw all the different kinds of trees, they saw the temple where only the 144,000 could enter (Micah 4:7; Jh. 8:2; Acts 3), and it was supported by twelve pillars all made of transparent gold studded with pearls ... and we ought to remember that transparent gold is nothing new. You can read about it in Revelation 21 verse 18. It says, "And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass." Rev. 21:18.

And so, as we go throughout the whole city looking at all these things, we hear the voice of Jesus once more, and he says, "Come my people, you have come out of great tribulation and have done my will, and suffered for me. Come in to supper for I will gird myself and serve you. And we shouted `Alleluia', glory.' And we entered into the city and I saw a table of pure silver. It was many miles in length, yet our eyes could extend over it. I saw the fruit of the tree of life, the manna, almonds, figs, pomegranates, grapes, and many other kinds of fruit. I asked Jesus to let me eat of the fruit." {EW 19.1}

Picture yourself seated at that table now. Feasting - not only the eye, but you are feasting. Jesus is serving you. You are enjoying the `Feast of Tabernacles.'

And as you are seated at that table enjoying the `Fruits of Tabernacles,' there is the great God of the universe and remember, we all today have been eating from that `Tree of Life.'

If with all our hearts we want to be with Jesus and do His will, He will be overjoyed to grant us eternal life.

One More Beautiful Thought

One more beautiful thought we shall leave with you today. We find it in the Bible. We read there how we are introduced as we go from one world to another, throughout God's great realm of His whole universe. Pay especially attention to the title that we have and how we are going to be introduced as we go. . . .

Let us read the words of Jesus,

"But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection." Luke 20:35,36.

So please notice that this is one title which no one else in God's entire universe can share. Only we have had a resurrection like Jesus, only we can be introduced in that way . . . and no, it never will make us proud but only happy . . . and as we go from place to place we will be introduced as `the children of the resurrection.'

That can be you, dear reader, `a child of the resurrection.' Do you like it? That will be your title. That will be how you will be introduced. That is the collective identification of those who chose to be faithful to God. And by His power, dear people, we may attain to this resurrection. And some of us might not even have to go through it, but will be translated. Which ever transition you or I will experience, so be it!

Will you not seek for it today? Please decide to be a child of God and His resurrection.

God bless all of you.